Britain's Prince Charles and his new wife, Camilla, have begun a week-long tour of the United States with a visit to the site of the World Trade Center in New York City.

Television reports say few onlookers turned out for a glimpse of the Prince of Wales and his longtime companion, the Duchess of Cornwall, whom he married earlier this year.

Prince Charles and Camilla are expected Tuesday to dedicate a memorial garden for British victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. On Wednesday they travel to Washington to visit President and Mrs. Bush at the White House.

Friday, the royal couple will visit New Orleans to meet with victims of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast in August.

Opinion polls indicate American interest in the trip falls far short of the prince's 1985 visit with his first wife, the late Princess Diana.